Rishi Sunak could U-turn on Cop27 summit snub, says minister

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Rishi Sunak could backtrack on his decision to snub the Cop27 UN climate summit, which has upset many developing countries and risked harming the UK’s standing on the world stage, a government minister has suggested.

Mark Spencer told broadcasters he would like to see the prime minister attend the talks after all – “if he’s got time” – and said the government was taking the climate crisis seriously.

“I think the prime minister has a huge inbox. He’s come into office, he’s got an inbox which is full to the brim. Clearly, he wants to concentrate on the financial statement and that’s what he’s doing,” Spencer told Sky News on Monday.

“But if he’s able to get through … all of that, Cop is very important. It’s very important to the government, it’s important to our future, so we’ll send out senior ministers, but that’s yet to be decided who’s going to go.”

Asked if he would like to see Sunak attend the summit, he said: “If he’s got time. Only he will know what he’s got in his inbox and in his diary, if he has the time, but he will make that call and I’m sure it will be the right one.”

Spencer’s comments came after the Financial Times reported that government sources had suggested Sunak’s attendance depended on his diary commitments in relation to next month’s autumn statement.

Sunak’s decision not to attend, citing “other pressing domestic commitments”, and reports that his predecessor in No 10 Liz Truss had advised the king to stay away have caused anger and dismay around the world.

Several developing countries have told the Guardian of their dismay. Belize’s ambassador to the UN, Carlos Fuller, accused No 10 of seemingly “washing their hands of leadership”.

And the speaker of the Maldives parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, questioned the reason given for Sunak refusal to attend, saying: “It’s very worrying that the UK thought there was anything more serious than climate change. You can count the pennies but might lose the pounds.”

Speaking on Monday, Spencer said the possibility Boris Johnson may attend Cop27 was not the real reason Sunak preferred to stay away, saying it was not a “consideration” for the new prime minister.

Sunak has been accused by some Conservatives of working towards Johnson’s downfall as prime minister while he was chancellor to succeed him in No 10.

Spencer said: “I think, actually, he will be looking at how much he has got in his inbox. But I think the fact Boris is thinking of going is a demonstration of how seriously the Conservative party and the Conservative government takes these things.”